“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; … to grant to those who mourn in Zion— to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified. They shall build up the ancient ruins; they shall raise up the former devastations; they shall repair the ruined cities, the devastations of many generations.”
Isaiah 61:1-4
Read the Bible Through: Isaiah 59-63
I remember when Mt St Helens erupted in May 1980. I was 13. I remember the images of thousands of trees like matchsticks around the mountain. I remember the moonscape in the valley. Mud, ash, blackened tree stumps as far as the eye could see. No green anywhere.
But 40 years later, that same valley is a lush, vibrant mountain meadow.
Turns out, volcanic is great for making things grow. … ash is normally rich in nutrients which act as natural fertilizers for the plants in the area, such as calcium, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus and sulphur.
In a previous post, I talked about the structure of Isaiah— how the first 39 chapters were primary about God’s judgment of Israel, and how the last 27 chapters are about restoration and future hope. There’s probably not a clearer picture of this than the contrast between Isaiah 3 and Isaiah 61.
Isaiah 3: Beauty to Ashes
In Isaiah 3, we read about God’s judgment on the vain, self-absorbed women of Israel:
“The Lord said: Because the daughters of Zion are haughty and walk with outstretched necks, glancing wantonly with their eyes, mincing along as they go, tinkling with their feet, therefore the Lord will strike with a scab the heads of the daughters of Zion, and the Lord will lay bare their secret parts
Isaiah 3:16-17 ESV
For what it’s worth, these vain, haughty women were the symptom and symbol of Israel’s arrogance. They weren’t the reason for judgment themselves. So in the next few verses, when God says what He will take away from the women of Zion, understand that He is saying what He will take away from Israel:
“In that day the Lord will take away the finery of the anklets, the headbands, and the crescents; the pendants, the bracelets, and the scarves; the headdresses, the armlets, the sashes, the perfume boxes, and the amulets; the signet rings and nose rings; the festal robes, the mantles, the cloaks, and the handbags; the mirrors, the linen garments, the turbans, and the veils.”
Isaiah 3:18-23 ESV
By the way, there was a really obscure Christian band in the 90’s called Johnny Q Public who actually wrote a song based on Isaiah 3. It is bizarrely catchy:
Isaiah 61: Beauty from Ashes
In Isaiah 61, we see the restoration of Zion. Verse 3 leapt off the page at me. Remember that Isaiah 3:18 specifically references the beautiful headdresses and turbans of the women of Zion. God strips those away, leaving them bald and scabrous. So keep that in mind as you read God’s promise of restoration in Isaiah 61:3:
“to grant to those who mourn in Zion— to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes,
Both Isaiah 3 and Isaiah 61 have a series of “Instead of…” statements. Check these out:
Isaiah 3:
“Instead of perfume there will be rottenness; and instead of a belt, a rope; and instead of well-set hair, baldness; and instead of a rich robe, a skirt of sackcloth; and branding instead of beauty.”
Isaiah 3:24 ESV
Isiah 61:
“to grant to those who mourn in Zion— to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified.”
Isaiah 61:3 ESV
Beloved, God is in the “instead” business. It works both ways. God humbles the exalted, but he also exalts the humble.
Throughout Scripture, the movement is almost always from devastation, not the other way around. The final word is restoration.
You may be a season of devastation right now. Your world might have blown up. You may feel like everything has been reduced to ashes. But beloved, hear this :
Ash is great for making things grow.
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